Despair is a dark place void of hope. Though tempted in the past to settle into this awful place, the Lord wooed me out through this verse.

"I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Psalm 27:13 NASB 1995

I didn't have to wait for Heaven. I could see His goodness now.

I began a lifestyle of searching for the goodness of God wherever I was at. Sometimes that was easy. The tough stuff was seeing His goodness in the middle of questions, doubts, and sorrows. I am so glad I pressed through until God's goodness became central in my vision.

Though despair might try to lure me back into that pit, I seldom stay for long. It's not that I am perfect at it. I'm not. The deal is, hope has become an anchor for my soul. I'm not talking about theory. I'm talking about reality.

One way the Lord created this safe stabilized place in tumult was through this lifestyle of being intentional to recognize God's goodness even when things get weird.